What counts as a qualified meeting
A qualified meeting definition determines which appointments count as delivered. It should be written before calling starts, applied to every booking, and supported by a recording when the parties disagree.
$1,500 to set up. $6,000 per block of qualified meetings. When a block is delivered, the next one starts.
Thaw’s qualified meeting definition
A qualified meeting counts toward your block only when it is an ICP-fit account, the agreed title, a confirmed need or timing, a time accepted and re-confirmed before the meeting, and the meeting held. No-shows don't count. We re-book them.
The definition used by Thaw
The definition has five checks because a calendar event alone does not show whether useful qualification happened. Account fit asks whether the company matches the agreed industry, size, geography, and exclusions. Title asks whether the attendee holds the role written into the campaign criteria. Need or timing asks whether the call established the agreed business condition rather than a general willingness to receive information.
Acceptance and re-confirmation concern the appointment itself. The prospect must accept a specific time and be contacted again before the meeting. The held check is last: the required person must attend. If a prospect accepts and then does not attend, the event is a no-show. It is re-booked and does not count toward the block until the rescheduled meeting is held.
Write each check so it can be observed
A usable criterion can be confirmed from the call, the account record, or the calendar. “Good company” is not observable. “A commercial property manager responsible for sites inside the service area” is observable. “Interested” is open to interpretation. “Confirmed an upcoming contract review and accepted an on-site walkthrough” gives the reviewer facts that can be checked against the recording.
The client supplies the boundaries before list work begins. Company size may be a range, a minimum, or irrelevant. The required title may name one role or a short hierarchy. Need can be a current service, an open role, a renewal window, a lane, or another stated condition. Timing should describe what must be true now, not what the vendor hopes will happen after the meeting.
How qualification disputes are settled
If the client believes a meeting failed the written definition, the client identifies the meeting and disputed field. Thaw and the client review the recording together within five business days. The account data, title, stated need or timing, calendar acceptance, re-confirmation record, and attendance status are compared with the agreed text.
A meeting that fails a required check is removed from the delivered count and replaced. The review is not based on whether the sales conversation produced an opportunity or sale. Thaw controls qualification and booking before the meeting; the client controls discovery, pricing, proposal, and closing after it starts. Separating those responsibilities keeps the delivery test tied to evidence available at booking.
How this differs from MQL, SQL, and BANT
An MQL is commonly a marketing-stage label based on engagement or fit scoring. An SQL usually means sales has accepted or further qualified the record. BANT is a framework covering budget, authority, need, and timeline. None of those labels has one universal threshold. CIENCE and Callbox publish their own examples of MQL, SQL, and appointment qualification definitions, which illustrates why a buyer should not rely on the acronym alone.
A held-meeting definition is narrower. It specifies what the calling vendor must establish for an appointment to count. A client may later classify that attendee as an MQL, SQL, opportunity, or disqualified record under its internal process. Those later labels do not retroactively change the vendor delivery count unless the contract explicitly makes them part of the five checks.
Contract checklist
The checklist below can be copied into a vendor schedule. Replace every bracketed field before signing. Keep the final version beside the script and campaign report so the caller, client, and reviewer apply the same standard.
- ICP fit: company must match [industry], [employee or revenue range], [geography], and [exclusions].
- Agreed title: attendee must be [role] or one of [approved alternative roles].
- Need or timing: attendee must confirm [current condition, project, renewal window, open role, or other signal].
- Acceptance: attendee must accept a specific calendar time and receive the agreed invitation.
- Re-confirmation: vendor must re-confirm before the scheduled time using [channel and timing].
- Held status: the required attendee must join; a no-show does not count and is re-booked.
- Evidence and disputes: call recording and notes are reviewed together within five business days.
What counts as a qualified meeting FAQ
Does an accepted calendar invitation count as a qualified meeting?
Not by itself. The account, title, need or timing, re-confirmation, and held checks must also be satisfied.
Does a no-show count?
No. The prospect is contacted and re-booked, and the meeting enters the delivered total only after it is held.
Who defines the qualification criteria?
The client defines the required account, role, need or timing, and meeting type in writing before the first call.
Is a qualified meeting the same as an SQL?
Not necessarily. An SQL is an internal sales-stage label; the qualified meeting definition is the written delivery test agreed with the appointment vendor.